The present invention relates to an improved greenspeed measurement device and method for evaluating and testing the speed at which a golf ball will roll on a putting surface.
One of the most significant aspects affecting the enjoyment of play on a golf course is the uniformity of the putting surfaces or greens. Variations in the speed at which a golf ball will roll on the putting surface, whether from one green to the next or on different parts of the same green, can do more to negate a player""s skill than can ragged fairways or unkempt bunkers. Most golf course superintendents are well aware of this problem and constantly seek better ways to establish consistent speed on all their greens. The problem they face, however, is extremely complex. There are a host of variables that affect the speed with which a ball rolls on a putting surface. For example, the direction that the grass grows across the green (i.e., the grain), wind, loose impediments on the putting surface, bare spots where grass has died, and more.
Approximately sixty (60) years ago, Edward S. Stimpson, addressed this problem of how to achieve accurate, objective, and statistically valid measurements of the speed of a putting green. The result of his efforts is today known as the Stimpmeter. Mr. Stimpson""s device was modified by the United States Golf Association (USGA) technical department in the mid-1970""s and made available to golf course superintendents and course officials in 1978.
The Stimpmeter allows one to make a standard measurement of, and place a numerical figure on, the speed of a putting green. It has proven to be an invaluable asset to the game of golf and a helpful management tool for the golf course superintendent.
Referring now to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C the Stimpmeter consists of a flat, extruded aluminum bar 10 that is thirty-six (36) inches long, with a V-shaped groove 12 extending along its entire length. It has a precisely milled and generally rectangular cross-sectional ball-release notch 14 that is thirty (30) inches from a tapered end 16 that rests on the ground or putting surface 18. A notched end 19 is defined opposite tapered end 16. An underside 20 of the tapered end is milled away to reduce bounce as a rolling ball 22 makes contact with the green.
V-shaped groove 12 has an included angle of 145 degrees defined by a respective pair of side surfaces 24 and 26, thereby supporting golf ball 22 at two points 28 and 30 approximately one-half inch apart. A ball 22 rolling down the groove has a slight overspin shown by arrow 32, which is thoroughly consistent and has no deleterious effect on the ensuing measurements. Ball-release notch 14 is designed so that ball 22 will always be released and start to roll when Stimpmeter 10 is raised to an angle of approximately twenty (20) degrees. This design feature is intended to produce a generally constant velocity of the ball when it reaches the tapered end. The device must be raised in a consistent manner to produce this constant velocity. The USGA cautions that even relatively slight damage to release notch 14 or to groove 12 may cause errors in the resultant greenspeed measurement.
To use Stimpmeter 10, the following equipment is needed: Stimpmeter 10; three golf balls; three tees; a measuring tape (not shown); and one data sheet (not shown). First, the operator or greenspeed measurer must select a level area on the green, approximately ten (10) feet by ten (10) feet. One method of checking for a level area is to lay the Stimpmeter on the green and place a ball in V-shaped groove 12, the movement of the ball with indicate whether or not the area is reasonably level. Next, the operator will insert a tee 34 in the green, near the edge of the area selected, to serve as a starting point. The operator then holds Stimpmeter 10 by notched end 19, while the tapered end rests on ground 18 beside tee 34, and aims the Stimpmeter in the direction he or she intends to roll ball 22. A ball 22 is set in notch 14 and notched end 19 is raised slowly until the ball starts to roll down groove 12. It is important that the operator hold Stimpmeter 10 steady until ball 22 reaches the putting surface 18 to obtain an accurate greenspeed measurement. The operator then repeats the same procedure with two more balls, keeping tapered end 16 on the same spot. All three balls 22 should come to rest not more than eight (8) inches apart. Should balls 22 be farther apart than that, the Stimpmeter may have moved too much during the series of rolls, the balls may be damaged or of inferior quality, or other unusual conditions may exist. A pattern larger than eight (8) inches is of questionable accuracy, and the three-roll series should be repeated, perhaps on a different area of putting surface 18.
Assuming balls 22 stop within the prescribed eight (8) inch limit, the measurer then inserts a second tee 34xe2x80x2 in the green at the average stopping point of the first series of rolls. The distance S1 between the two tees is the length of the first series of rolls. The measurer then repeats the procedure above using second tee 34xe2x80x2 as a starting point and aim balls 22 back toward first tee 34, thus rolling the second series of three balls 22 along roughly the same line, but in the opposite direction. If the second series of balls come to rest within eight (8) inches, the length of the second series of rolls is established. The operator measures the two distances, for each of the first series and the second series, and calculates their average. This average distance is the speed of the green or xe2x80x9cStimpmeter reading.xe2x80x9d
Should the difference in length between the first and second series be greater than eighteen (18) inches, the accuracy of the resulting average may be questionable. The area selected for the test may not have been sufficiently level, or sufficiently representative of the green, in which case it is advisable to select another area and repeat the test. Sometimes a green may be so severely undulating or sloping that a level area is simply not available. This should be indicated by the resultant data record.
It is important to select a reasonably level test area. Measurements taken up or down a slope, or over mounds, will result in misleading data. Conditions during the Stimpmeter reading or test are also important. Initially, greens should be tested under optimum conditions, a cleanly mowed, dry, smooth surface on a calm day. Once this basic speed is established, speeds and variances can be documented from tests under unusual conditions: windy days, wet surfaces, non-mowed, recently topdressed, time of day, and before and after fertilizer applications. The accumulated data should lead to a better understanding of how different management practices affect the speed and consistency of each green on the golf course.
A relatively small amount of practice in using the Stimpmeter generally increases the accuracy and consistency of the data. It is also important to keep thorough records. Complete and accurate records, maintained over extended periods, are the most useful to the greenskeeping staff. Once the Stimpmeter is put into use at a course and the resulting information is analyzed and acted upon, the possibilities for improved playing conditions are virtually endless.
The above described prior art device and procedure measures only the speed at which a golf ball will roll on a level surface. To get the true feel of the speed at which a golf ball will roll across the putting surface at that greenspeed, it is also generally necessary to putt a few balls toward a present pin position or hole location, as well as other prospective or future hole locations. By making a putt toward a target, one obtains a feel for exactly what the player will experience in attempting to putt to a prospective hole location at the particular greenspeed. Another reason that it is imperative to roll a few putts is that the golf ball leaving the Stimpmeter is already rolling, whereas a putted golf ball typically hops, skips, and/or slides across the putting surface for at least the first few inches after being struck by the putter head and prior to beginning to roll across the putting surface.
New greenskeeping and golf course maintenance technology permits greens designed, for example, in the 1970""s or 1980""s, to accommodate a maximum Stimpmeter reading of nine (9), to now hold a Stimpmeter reading of eleven (11). This can cause a host of problems. For example, at a Stimpmeter reading of nine (9), the hole location could have been almost anywhere on the putting surface or green, but at a Stimpmeter reading of eleven (11), many of the previously utilized hole locations may be too difficult for the golfer to place an xe2x80x9capproachxe2x80x9d putt close enough to the hole so that he can xe2x80x9ctwo-puttxe2x80x9d the hole. This often results in extra time spent on the green by the golfers, slower play, and even a feeling that the game of golf was xe2x80x9cunfair.xe2x80x9d
The present invention addresses the foregoing concerns, and others, of prior art constructions and methods. The present invention conveniently includes a combination putting head and lifting handle which increases the speed and accuracy of data collection, and also makes reading a green a bit more enjoyable for a greenskeeper and his or her staff. The present invention includes other refinements as well, for example, a ball release notch that is generally correspondingly shaped to the golf ball and others set forth in the detailed description. By incorporating a level and a measuring tape directly onto the device, a solitary unit takes the place of at least four components of a prior art method, which required a Stimpmeter, a level, measuring tape, and a separate putter.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved greenspeed measuring device.
It is a more particular object of the present invention to reduce the number of components that must be gathered to obtain efficient and accurate reading of the green""s speed.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved method of determining the greenspeed and thus the challenge that golfers will experience when they attempt to xe2x80x9cholexe2x80x9d their putts from various positions on the green.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the golf course superintendent with the tools to quickly set the difficulty of playing conditions (i.e., hole locations) according to the level of skill expected for a particular day and thus also control and manage the speed of play.
Some of these objects are achieved by a greenspeed measuring device for quick and accurate measurement of the speed at which a golf ball will roll over a putting surface. The greenspeed measuring device includes an elongated shaft having a release end and a handle end opposite the release end, a bottom side surface and a top side surface. A ball rolling channel defined in the top side extends from the release end toward the handle end. A notch is defined in the top side adjacent the channel. The notch is closer to the handle end than the release end. A handle is attached to the shaft at the handle end.
In one exemplary embodiment, the handle is configured so that the handle end of the shaft can be independently held above a putting surface when the top side surface faces away from the putting surface. The handle may include a putter head. The handle may be configured so that when the channel faces away from the putting surface, the handle extends radially from the shaft to hold the handle end of the shaft above the putting surface. The elongate shaft may include a generally circular cross section in the bottom side surface and a V-shaped cut-out in the top side surface. In one preferred embodiment, the channel defines an angle of 144 degrees between a pair of respective side channel surfaces. A level may be affixed to the bottom side surface, and a tape measure may be fastened to the release end. In one preferred embodiment, the bottom side surface defines a tapered surface at the release end such that the channel terminates approximately 0.0313 inches above the release end tapered surface. The handle may include a grippable portion extending generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the elongate shaft, and the notch, in one preferred embodiment, is generally correspondingly shaped to receive a round golf ball. In one preferred embodiment, the handle is configured to facilitate a one-step three-point grip, wherein an operator""s index and middle fingers are approximately one inch apart from each other.
Still further objects of the present invention are achieved by a method of determining a numeric designation of a green""s speed and testing the speed of a putting surface. The method includes the steps of: (a) providing a greenspeed measuring device having an elongated shaft, the shaft having a release end and a handle end opposite the release end, the shaft including a bottom side surface and a top side surface, a ball rolling channel extending from the release end toward the handle end, the channel being defined in the top side surface, a notch defined in the top side surface adjacent the channel, and a handle attached to the shaft at the handle end; (b) placing a first golf ball in the notch and slowly raising the handle end away from the putting surface while maintaining the release end in contact with the putting surface until the golf ball moves out of the notch into the channel and rolls down the channel toward the release end and onto the putting surface; (c) repeating step (b) at least two more times; (d) measuring the average distance that the golf balls rolled on the putting surface from the point at which the release end was in contact with the putting surface; (e) repeating the above steps (b)-(d) from the general area which the first the golf ball came to rest so that a second set of golf balls is caused to roll generally in the opposite direction on the putting surface; and (f) measuring an average distance of the second set of golf balls and calculating the average distance the balls rolled in each direction.
In one preferred embodiment of the preferred method, the method includes the step of utilizing the handle end of the greenspeed measuring device to strike a ball on a green to simulate at least one putt to a selected target on the putting surface. The method may also include the step of first selecting a flat area of the putting surface, and the use of three golf balls are rolled and measured in each direction. The method may include the use of a level mounted to the bottom side surface of the elongated shaft to find a flat area of the putting surface. In one preferred method, the step of test-putting to a selected target includes putting to an existing hole location or a prospective hole location, and the handle end includes a heel-toe weighted putter head. In one preferred embodiment of the present method, the step of slowly raising the handle end away from the putting surface includes the use of a three-point grip on the handle.
Still further objects are achieved by a greenspeed measuring device for quick and accurate measurement of the speed at which a golf ball will roll over a putting surface. The greenspeed measuring device includes an elongated shaft defining a longitudinal axis therethrough, the shaft having a release end and a handle end opposite the release end. A ball rolling channel is defined parallel to the longitudinal axis and extends from the release end toward the handle end. A ball holding notch, at least a portion of which is radially displaced from the longitudinal axis is defined adjacent the channel. The device also includes means for gripping the handle end of the elongated shaft.
In one preferred embodiment, the means for gripping includes a handle mounted to the handle end, and at least a portion of the handle extends radially outward from the longitudinal axis a distance of at least one inch. The means for gripping may include a putter head.
Still further objects are achieved by a greenspeed measuring device for quick and accurate measurement of the speed at which a golf ball will roll over a putting surface, the greenspeed measuring device includes an elongated shaft defining a longitudinal axis therethrough, the shaft having a release end and a handle end opposite the release end, a bottom side surface and a top side surface. The bottom side surface defines a tapered surface at the release end. A generally V-shaped ball rolling channel is defined parallel to the longitudinal axis and extends from the release end toward the handle end. A ball holding notch that is generally correspondingly shaped to receive a round golf ball is defined adjacent the channel and at least a portion of the notch is radially displaced from the longitudinal axis. A heel-toe weighted putter head is mounted to the elongated shaft at the handle end to facilitate one-step gripping and raising of the handle end of the device. In one preferred embodiment, the device includes a level mounted to the bottom side surface and a tape measure fastened to the release end.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.